PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK: Team admits penalties have become an issue

Glen Farley The Enterprise @GFarley_ent

Friday

Dec 21, 2018 at 4:32 PM

After being called for 15 penalties, 14 which were accepted for 106 yards, in last week's loss at Pittsburgh, Patriots players admit they must clean up their play as the regular season comes to a close.

FOXBORO – A rundown of the penalties that were called against them at Pittsburgh last Sunday sounds like the lyrics to “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

They were that numerous.

During the course of their 17-10 loss to the Steelers, the Patriots were called for:

• five holding penalties (three on offense, one each on defense and special teams);

• five false starts (four on offense, one on special teams);

• one illegal formation (offense);

• one offside (defense);

• one pass interference (defense);

• one delay of game (special teams);

• one illegal man downfield (special teams).

That’s 15 penalties in all – eight on offense, four on special teams, three on defense – 14 of them accepted for a total of 106 yards.

“It’s definitely an issue for us,” special teams captain Matthew Slater said. “We’ve walked on the edge for a little bit. We had a game a few games ago where we kind of got away with that (11 penalties for 105 yards in their 27-13 win over the New York Jets on Nov. 25), but it bit us in the butt this past weekend and we can’t continue to do that, especially this time of year.

“We’ve got to cut back on the penalties that we can control, whether it’s pre-snap penalties, fundamental mistakes … and give ourselves the best chance to be successful.”

In retrospect, the Steelers didn’t beat the Patriots at Heinz Field last weekend as much as the Patriots beat themselves.

As Slater said: “Before you win, you have to keep from losing.”

That’s a fact, cornerback Jason McCourty said, players realized as they got dressed in the visitors’ locker room after the game.

“You’ve got to move on and just play better fundamental football. We know that. We knew that after the game,” said McCourty. “So (you’ve) just got to continue to move on and this week it’s about Buffalo. So (it’s) doing everything you can to prepare.

“It starts on the practice field. So (it’s a matter of) making sure we’re not having those penalties out there and we’re working on our craft and working on the fundamentals to get them right.”

The 14 penalties for 106 yards that were stepped off against them upped the Patriots’ totals for the season to 84 for 665, numbers which are still tied for the sixth fewest and third fewest in the league heading into Sunday’s game with the Bills at Gillette Stadium. But they are part of an alarming trend of late, one that’s seen them incur 37 penalties in the last four games (9.25 per game) after having 47 in the first 10 (4.7).

When at their best, the Patriots are capable of achieving an NFL rarity, playing penalty-free football in their 43-40 victory over Kansas City on Oct. 14.

When at their worst, well, the 14 penalties the Patriots had assessed against them last Sunday fell one shy of their all-time franchise worst – 15 in a 31-28 win over Indianapolis on Sept. 19, 1999, a number they duplicated in a 30-7 victory against Minnesota on Sept. 14, 2014.

‘An unfortunate situation’: Saying “it’s a private matter,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had little to say Friday, one day after wide receiver Josh Gordon was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy once again.

“It’s obviously an unfortunate situation,” said Belichick, who said he spoke with Gordon Thursday morning, “and personally I wish him the very best, as we all do on this team. He’s made a statement, the organization’s made a statement, the league’s made a statement. I’ve spoken to him at length over the last three months and so I don’t really have anything at this point to add to that. It’s a private matter and I hope that he’s able to deal with it successfully.”

Asked how he felt Gordon's loss would impact the offense, Belichick said: "We have a lot of good players. We have a lot of people who have contributed and performed well for us, and we have a lot of confidence in them and the whole team."

When asked what his reaction was to hearing the news on Thursday, quarterback Tom Brady said: "There wasn't much reaction.

"We all wish him the best," said Brady. "I think that's kind of how we all feel. We want him to do what's right for him."

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